Mollie Foerster 12/05/2018 English 101 Argumentation Essay The Environmental Impacts of Factory Farming The system that America uses to produce its meat needs an overhaul. Factory farming, on a surface level, brings to mind hundreds of animals crowded together and suffering. When looking at the issue of factory farming, it is easy to get swept up in the moralistic side of the argument; however, there are other issues surrounding factory farming that must be looked at as well. The most pressing of these issues has to do with the effect that factory farms are having on the environment. Factory farms have a negative impact on the environment because they produce huge amounts of waste, contaminate water sources, add to the effects of global warming, and contribute to deforestation. Years ago, the meat found on grocery store shelves had a higher purchase price. Fifty years ago, chicken meat was still seen as a luxury. Why then, is meat so much cheaper today? The answer lies in the rise of factory farming (D’Silva). Factory farming is a large part of the American meat production industry. Inside of factory farms, animals are kept in extremely close quarters and pumped full of antibiotics to keep them healthy and to maximize their growth (Lavin 74). This allows the farms to operate at maximum efficiency and sell products at reduced rates (Lavin 72). Although these farms have achieved their goal of producing cheaper meat, what is it costing the environment? Factory farms are, among other things, major contributors to pollution because of the waste that they produce. Studies have shown that average sized salmon farms can produce the waste equivalent of 65,000 people, while a 200 sow pig farm can produce an amount of waste per year that that is equivalent to the waste produced by 25,000 people (Weeks). Regarding pig farm waste, the manure produced “often contains a variety of heavy metals, lake-choking nutrients and deadly pathogens such as E. coli 0157” (Nikiforuk). While waste from humans is required to undergo some form of treatment, waste from factory farms is put into open-air lagoons where it can easily escape into the environment. When the waste finds its way into the environment, the results are disastrous for the local fish population. There are multiple instances of the runoff from factory farms resulting in the deaths of countless fish, including in 2005, when there was a spill into New York's Black River, as well as in 1995 in North Carolina's New River Basin (Colleran). The problem of waste leakage in factory farming is so widespread that the Environmental Protection Agency reports it as the main source of water pollution in the US (Nikiforuk). In addition to polluting rivers and lakes, factory farms also contribute to global warming. This effect is nowhere near as significant as the effects produced by waste leakage, but it is still worth mentioning as it shows that factory farming plays a part in many different aspects of environmental damage. Greenhouse gases, which consist of nitrous oxide, methane, and carbon dioxide, are a part of global warming (Rzeźnik et al.). These gasses affect the temperature and have the most impact on the cold, which makes their effects more noticeable in winter (Michaels). Methane and nitrous oxide, aforementioned greenhouse gases, are produced in part from factory farming. Methane is emitted from manure, while nitrous oxide is produced from the method in which the crops that feed the animals are farmed, meaning that both the meat production and the crop production that go into factory farming are contributing to the problem. Agriculture makes up 18% of greenhouse gas emissions (Rzeźnik et al.) and beef production alone makes up 41% of that 18% (Levitt). While these may seem like inconsequentially small numbers in the grand scheme of things, adding these statistics into the larger problem of waste pollution paints a far more worrisome picture. Yet another environmental issue that is exacerbated by factory farming is the issue of deforestation. According to estimates, 28% of the earth’s land is taken up by the farming and feeding of animals. It is reasonable to assume that factory farms are not a large part of this problem as they are more compact than traditional farms; however, that is forgetting that the land used to feed these animals is not compacted, and is taking up room where trees could be (Levitt). A larger and more concerning part of deforestation relating to factory farming pertains to Thailand’s mangrove tree crisis. Thailand, the world’s largest shrimp exporter, has seen the decimation of over ten thousand acres of mangrove trees as a direct result of this “aquatic equivalent to factory farming.” As a result of the pesticides and antibiotics used to increase their capacity, each shrimp farm must be abandoned and rebuilt every five years, which accelerates the timeline of destruction. Unfortunately, the yield of these farms is enormous, which makes the incentive to continue production strong. These farms have come at the cost of around 87% of Thailand’s original mangrove forests (Kelly). The government should be taking all of these problems into account and should be actively tightening down its laws regarding factory farming, but unfortunately, they are not. On the contrary, the waste products of factory farming are taken far more lightly than waste from other industries. There are many cases of multi-million dollar factory farm industries being required to pay minimal fees as punishment for repeated pollution. In addition, in many states, it is far too easy to acquire permission to begin a factory farm. Take the state of Illinois for example: In Illinois, 80% of “hog confinement farms” that were proposed ended up getting built, while the other 20% of applications “expired for various reasons.” In order for the issues surrounding factory farming to be fixed, the government should be cracking down on factory farms. The government should not be forgiving the farms for their pollution, and they should not allow such a high percentage of pig farms proposals come to fruition (Jackson). Despite the havoc that factory farming is wreaking on the environment, it remains a staple of American agriculture. What is the reason that it continues to be a popular form of meat production? One answer is that factory farming is seen as being efficient, the other is that it is a tried and true method of producing large quantities of cheap meat. As mentioned, animals in factory farms are kept in incredibly close quarters and are pumped full of antibiotics to increase their growth rates (Lavin 74). This increases the efficiency of the farms, which then leads to prices of meat going down (Lavin 72). The more affordable meat we have seen in recent years as a result of factory farming is perceived as beneficial for the consumer (D’Silva). Although there are benefits to factory farming, the bad that surrounds them far outweighs the good. Even though factory farms are seen as an efficient way to produce meat, the calories put into the animals are greater than the calories they give back. 36% of calories from the world’s crops are being fed to meat animals, while only 12% of those calories ultimately end up in a person’s diet (Levitt). This is a huge inefficiency that the factory farm industry isn’t taking into account. Additionally, this so-called “efficient” way of producing meat is causing lasting damage to the environment. The time and money that it will take to fix the problems that are being created by factory farming outbalance this semi-efficient way of farming meat (Weeks). Large corporations should care about factory farming because of its hidden inefficiencies, however, why should the average citizen care? Factory farming is costing customers more in the long-run as well. This is in part related to the use of antibiotics among the animals. Overuse of antibiotics can produce mutations of viruses that are resistant to antibiotics. Because the animals are crowded together so tightly, the cycle continues rapidly, and the viruses have the potential to become incredibly difficult to destroy. These viruses would then be spread to factory workers and consequently to nearby towns where they could potentially cause deadly outbreaks (Lenzer). Paying a premium for meat products may be inconvenient, but it is far better than indirectly encouraging the production of a super-virus. Knowing the dangers of factory farming, one may begin to feel rather hopeless. After all, what can one consumer do in the war against factory farming? One way to combat factory farming is to buy local meat from free-range pastures. It may be more expensive, but will prove worth it in the long run. For those who are tight on money, making an effort to choose more plant based meals is an easy way to make a difference. As Paul Shapiro, senior director for the Humane Society's Factory Farming Campaign, said, “choosing more plant-based meals is something where we can stand up for animals and the environment every time we sit down to eat” (Colleran). Looking ahead towards the future, a promising solution looms on the horizon. Lab-grown meat, once a product of science-fiction, is now incredibly close to becoming a reality. Studies suggest that the introduction of this cruelty-free meat will have a significant positive effect on the environment. Switching over to lab-grown meat would put an immediate stop to all of the waste produced by current factory farms (Levitt). Adding to this, the price of lab-grown meat has dropped considerably in the past years. Meat that first cost $325,000 for a single burger has dropped in price to roughly $2,400 per pound, and it continues to drop by the month. There is no doubt that this new meat will soon be out on the market, the only question is in if people will be willing to eat it (Scharfenberg). In conclusion, factory farms are harmful to the environment on all fronts. They produce enormous amounts of waste, pollute water sources, and contribute to global warming and deforestation. The façade that they maintain of efficiency and cheap prices is merely a front for all of the destruction they are actively causing. Preventative actions must be taken, whether with stricter laws, conscientious consumers, lab-grown meat, or all of the above, so that the damage we have done can begin to be reversed, and we can pave the way to a brighter, less wasteful, future. Works Cited Colleran, Brian. “Think Before You Eat: The Widespread Effects of Factory-Farmed Meat.” E: The Environmental Magazine, vol. 19, no. 4, July 2008, pp. 30–31. EBSCOhost, dbprox.vinu.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph &AN=32800546&site=ehost-live&scope=site D’Silva, Joyce. “Faster, Cheaper, Sicker.” New Scientist, vol. 180, no. 2421, Nov. 2003, p. 19. EBSCOhost, dbprox.vinu.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph &AN=11532544&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Jackson, David. "The High Price of Cheap Pork." Chicago Tribune, 03 Aug. 2016, pp. 1. SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com. Kelly, Sharon. "Succumbing to Shrimp." E Magazine, 2012, pp. p. 32. SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com. Lavin, Chad. “Factory Farms in a Consumer Society.” American Studies, vol. 50, no. 1/2, Spring/Summer2009 2009, pp. 71–92. EBSCOhost, dbprox.vinu.edu/login?url=https://search-ebscohost-com.dbprox.vinu.edu/login.aspx?dire ct=true&db=aph&AN=59175545&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Lenzer, Jeanne. “Hot Zones & Flu Hotels.” Men’s Health, vol. 33, no. 8, Oct. 2018, pp. 104–109. EBSCOhost, dbprox.vinu.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph &AN=131539453&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Levitt, Tom. "What's the BEEF?" Earth Island Journal, 2014, pp. p. 18. SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com. Michaels, J. Patrick. “Why Climate Change Spurs Whining about Cold Snaps.” USA Today, 2010, EBSCOhost, dbprox.vinu.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph &AN=J0E005971249010&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Nikiforuk, Andrew. “When Water Kills. (Cover Story).” Maclean’s, vol. 113, no. 24, June 2000, p. 18. EBSCOhost, dbprox.vinu.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph &AN=3200659&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Rzeźnik, Wojciech, et al. “Pilot Study of Greenhouse Gases and Ammonia Emissions from Naturally Ventilated Barns for Dairy Cows.” Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, vol. 25, no. 6, Nov. 2016, pp. 2553–2562. EBSCOhost, doi:10.15244/pjoes/63660. Scharfenberg, David. "The Herbivore's Dilemma." Boston Globe, 02 Jul. 2017, pp. K.1. SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com. Weeks, Jennifer. "Fish Farming." CQ Researcher, 27 July 2007, pp. 625-48, library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2007072700.
